The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

V. Examination of Arguments Used to Show Origin From Waldo

1. WALDO NAMED AS FOUNDER

Most sources name Waldo as founder. But in nearly every instance these statements refer to the Poor Men of Lyons, that is, the French group, and not necessarily to the Italian. (See accompanying chart.) PFF1 942.4

This was a natural inference on the part of the Roman Catholics, for several reasons. Waldo’s followers were more conspicuous than the Lombard “heretics” with whom they fused, and his leadership was for a time acknowledged by both groups, as is clear from the account of their meeting at Bergamo in 1218, after Waldo’s death. ³⁰ It was Waldo’s leadership that rallied and organized these scattered “heretics” into aggressive evangelism. Further, the origin from Waldo was necessary to the Catholics for polemical reasons. Lack of evidence against the admittedly pious lives of the Waldenses made the charge of recent schism and the lack of valid authority their strongest argument against them. On the general orthodoxy of the Waldenses we have noted the testimony of the Passau Inquisitor. Two other extracts throw light on that picture of piety and insubordination: PFF1 942.5

“Because they see in many priests of the church bad examples of pride, avarice, incontinence, drunkenness, strife, anger, envy, and other vices, therefore they have more confidence in their heresiarchs, who furnish them with good examples of humility, generosity, chastity, sobriety, peace, love, gentleness, and other virtues, than in the aforementioned priests; and they more freely hear their preaching than these [priests’], and more freely confess to them than to the latter, and believe them to have, from their good outward life, greater authority to absolve from sins than the latter, although they do not believe them to be ordained by ecclesiastical bishops.” ³¹ PFF1 942.6

“They believe and teach to their believing friends [the laity] the 7 articles of faith and even the 7 sacraments, and the other things, for the greater part, which Catholics believe, except for their errors, which follow: PFF1 943.1

“They do not believe that the divine pope has as much power on earth as did St. Peter unless he were as good and holy as St. Peter was. Likewise they do not believe that purgatory exists except insofar as it is in this world. Likewise they do not believe that alms or prayers help the souls of the dead. Likewise they do not believe that anyone is allowed, without mortal sin, in any case in the world to kill a man or swear. Likewise they believe that it is valid to confess their sins to one another, according to St. James. Likewise they believe that those who are ordained among them into the Sandaliati can accomplish the work of Christ as well as the Catholic priests.” ³² PFF1 943.2

The Catholics were on the defensive here maintaining the perpetuity and exclusive character of the Roman church against those who claimed divine authority and ancient origin. The charge of innovation would be bolstered wherever possible by the contention of recent origin. ³³ Some statements were therefore made and repeated by biased parties who would make the most of the argument. PFF1 943.3

“The history of the various heretical or schismatic sects which appear in Southern and Eastern Europe before the twelfth century is full of difficult problems. The orthodox [Catholic] opponents of these sects were inclined to include them all in the common title of heretics and rarely took any trouble to ascertain their respective tenets or to investigate their origins..... It is therefore dangerous to rely upon the statements of orthodox churchmen for information upon medieval heresies.... When the Inquisition began to examine individuals, a change of attitude in this respect can be noted; but, even then, examinations were often conducted under stress of prejudice or haste.” ³⁴ PFF1 943.4

2. ARGUMENT FROM DERIVATION OF THE NAME

The origin from Waldo is declared to be the only explanation of the name Waldenses. But the sources actually call Peter Waldo by the name Valdius, Valdesius, Valdes, Valdensis, Valdexius, Gualdenis—not by Waldo, apparently a modernized form. In the majority of the sources (see chart) it is Waldensis, a derivative form, the singular of Waldenses. Thus Peter Waldo was Peter the Waldensian. The appellative or derivative names, such as Valdius, Valdesius, Waldensis, indicate that Waldo did not originate the name, but derived it from an earlier source—a sect, possibly, or a locality. ³⁵ Indeed, PFF1 943.5

Picture: TABULATION OF SOURCES ON WALDO AND THE ORIGIN OF THE WALDENSES
TABULATION OF SOURCES ON WALDO AND THE ORIGIN OF THE WALDENSES*
Breakdown of Leading Source Statements to Show Proportionate Distribution of Evidence for Peter Waldo as Founder, and for Pre-Waldo Origins of the Waldenses, as Well as Etymology of Names Waldo and Waldenses.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHART:
1. It is obvious that Peter Waldo founded the Poor Men of Lyons (col. 1). On this Catholic sources are practically unanimous.
2. It is obvious that the north Italian, or Lombard, Waldenses were linked with, and influenced by, Waldo and his Poor Men of Lyons.
3. Only a few of the sources (col. 2) specifically attribute to Waldo the founding of the Lombard wing also. (This aspect has not heretofore received sufficient attention.) Inasmuch as the name Waldensian was applied to both the Poor Men of Lyons and the Poor Men of Lombardy, the general impression that Waldo was the founder of the group could easily obscure the connection of the Italian Waldenses with earlier “heretics.”
4. The Waldensian claims of an earlier origin, from the time of Sylvester or earlier, are well known (col. 3), and were mentioned by Catholics as early as 1240 or 1250.
5. Some of the same Catholic authorities who assert that Waldo was the founder of the Poor Men of Lyons, say that they mingled with other heresies—and some identify these as the older heresies in north Italy (col. 4).
6. One chronicle, in 1229, ignores Waldo, and says the Waldenses sprang up long before in Italy.
7. A number of Catholic writers (col. 4) link the Waldensians in Italy with other heresies—more than the number of those who imply Waldo was the founder of the Lombardian Waldenses.
8. The argument that Waldo must be the founder because there is no other way to account for the name (cols. 5, 6) is out of harmony with the fact that he is never called Waldo in the sources, but is referred to by half a dozen other names, several of which are derivative or appellative, as Valdez or Valdesius (says Elliott), and unquestionably Valdensis. The majority of the sources call him Waldensis or Valdensis, which is only the singular of the more familiar plural Waldenses. This does not prove that Waldo was a Valdensis from a Valdensian sect rather than from a geographical place; yet it refutes the argument that all the evangelicals known as Waldensians necessarily came from him because of the name.
9. Four fourteenth- and fifteenth-century sources (col. 7) derive Waldo’s name from a geographical term, although this is rather late to establish anything.
10. Three Catholic, writers mention a derivation of the name Waldenses from “valley.” Eberhard of Bethune and Bernard of Fontcaud, living within fifty years of Waldo, make no mention of him as founder, but offer the derivation (if indeed they are not puns, which is possible, and even probable) of the name Waldenses from valley—”because they live in a dense valley of error,” “because they live in a vale of tears.” Besides these two figurative statements, one thirteenth-century source also mentions a derivation of the name Waldenses from valley (col. 8).
* This summarization of source materials on Waldensian origins is based on research by Julia Neuffer.
Page 944

several Catholic sources explain Waldo’s name “Petrus Waldensis” (precisely Peter the Waldensian) as derived from a place—“the city of Walden, which is situated on the borders of France,” ³⁶ or the “region of Waldis,” ³⁷ and a Waldensian source calls him “Petrus de Walle” (Peter of Val) and “Peter Waldensian.” ³⁸ (See chart.) PFF1 946.5

A few Catholic sources derive Waldenses from vallis, valley, two of them figuratively, and two literally. Bernard of Fontcaud (c. 1209) says, “They are called Valdenses, without doubt, from a dense valley (vallis densa), because they are surrounded by deep and dense shadows of errors”; and Eberhard of Bethune (c. 1212) says that they “call themselves Vallenses because they remain in a vale of tears,” ³⁹ The Anonymous of Passau says, “They are called Waldenses from their master Waldunus, or from a valley as some say, because they arose in a certain valley,” and an anonymous document from Strassburg also mentions the derivation from valley in almost the same words. ⁴⁰ PFF1 946.1

The difficulty in the valley derivation is that etymology does not account for the insertion of a d in Vallenses to result in Valdenses; yet a d could be accounted for from vallis densa, or from Val Die, or district of Vaud. ⁴¹ PFF1 946.2

3. DIFFICULTIES OF “APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION” THEORY

The fact that the Waldenses were less evangelical than formerly argued by enthusiastic Protestants—which creates difficulties for a theory of continuous transmission of primitive apostolic faith—has been taken as leaving origin from Waldo as the only alternative. But it is not necessary to contend that they had all the evangelical light in that dark age, regardless of how old they were. Neither did the Protestant Reformers later have all the light. And the Waldenses themselves regarded their apostolic succession as spiritual, not visible. PFF1 946.3

“‘The Church of Christ,’ says the monk Rainerius Saccho, ‘continued in her bishops and other prelates, down to the blessed Sylvester; but under his reign it declined until the Restoration, which was their work. They say, however, that at all times there have been God-fearing people who have been saved.’ ... ‘They say,’ repeats the monk Moneta, ‘that the Church of God had declined in the time of Sylvester, and that in these days it had been re-established by their efforts, commencing with Waldo.’ ‘They call themselves successors of the Apostles,’ adds monk David of Augsburg, ‘and say they are in possession of the apostolic authority, and of the keys to bind and unbind.’” ⁴² PFF1 946.4

The Waldensians were quoted as saying “that those only are successors of the apostles who follow their life,” ⁴³ “that they are the church of Christ because they observe, by word and example, the teaching of Christ, of the gospel, and of the Apostles,” ⁴⁴ and that “the church of God remained lost many years,” until it was restored by them. ⁴⁵ PFF1 946.5

As for their being evangelical, it is certain that the Waldenses included various groups and fusions of beliefs and practices, some more and some less evangelical, varying in time and place concerning such points as the status of the clergy, the nature of the Eucharist, the validity of sacraments, baptism, et cetera. ⁴⁶ PFF1 947.1

The French Waldenses were always more conservative than the Lombards, who moved farther away from Catholic orthodoxy. This was doubtless due to the latter’s heritage of dissent. Pennington contends, against Comba’s view, that the settlement of the valleys of the Piedmont was made from Lombardy, not from Dauphine. In this connection he says: PFF1 947.2

“They are the descendants of Bishop Claud of Turin in the ninth century in this sense, that, as he protested against the worship of images, so they represent another movement having the word and the tradition of the church from the Apostles for its warrant.” ⁴⁷ PFF1 947.3

As such, they were, if not Protestants, genuine protesters, and forerunners of Protestantism. Beard testifies: PFF1 947.4

“The Vaudois remained in their own valleys, as they still remain, faithful, under much persecution, to their ancestral principles; and when, about 1526, they opened communications with the Reformed Churches of Switzerland and Germany, they found that, if they had something to learn, they had nothing to unlearn. Here, it would seem, we have the Reformation, not merely in germ, but in blossom and in fruit; and yet, for the general purposes of European life, the tree was barren. The time of ingathering was not yet: the Waldenses were men born, as it were, out of due season.” ⁴⁸ PFF1 947.5

Although Vedder regards it as certain that the Waldenses, in the narrow sense of the Poor Men of Lyons, originated with Waldo about 1170, he does not deny an origin prior to Waldo to some other groups embraced under the name Waldenses. He says: PFF1 947.6

“For myself, I regard it as satisfactorily established that the Poor of Lombardy, commonly identified with the Waldenses, had an independent origin, and were descended from that more or less evangelical party in Italy which, under the various titles of Humiliati, Arnoldistae, Paterini, Pauliciani, existed several centuries prior to the time of Waldo. In southern France itself it is demonstrable that the Petrobrusians, who preceded the Waldensians by a half century, were even more evangelical than the followers of Waldo. My own conclusion from all the facts thus far established is that the Waldensians absorbed and gave their name to preexisting sects of evangelical believers, like the Petrobrusians, and that thus, and thus only, can we satisfactorily account for the rapid growth and wide diffusion of the Waldenses and their teachings in the thirteenth century. Many bits of scattered evidence confirm this view.” ⁴⁹ PFF1 947.7

“There [at the conference of Bergamo, 1218] representatives of the Poor of Lyons (the original Waldenses, as I believe) and the Poor of Lombardy (an older sect that had come to bear the same name) discussed their differences.” ⁵⁰ PFF1 948.1